Paving the path between visitors and merchants

  • By Mark Weaver
  • January 5, 2011
  • 256
                        
The Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau faces a unique challenge. How do you make it easier for the world to find what they’re looking for in a group of people who make it a point to stay disconnected from the world? Shasta Mast, director of the Chamber, talked about connecting visitors to Holmes County with the people they came to see. "One of the great things about Holmes County is all of the small, entrepreneurial businesses. The downfall for tourists is that a lot of those businesses are hard to find. Tourists are expecting a much more cohesive destination. While we certainly want to keep that unique flavor of small individual businesses, this would just help the tourists navigate them, and find them more easily.” “On the tourism side, we promote this region as a destination,” said Mast. “We work to promote Ohio’s Amish Country as a premier destination for travel and tourism, and to promote the products that are made here, to increase sales for our local businesses.” To do that, the Chamber and the Tourism Bureau use every marketing and social networking tool at their disposal to bring visitors to this region. Their ever-evolving Web site, visitamishcountry.com, gets 700,000 unique visitors a year. "One of the cool things we’re launching by the first of the year is an interactive section on Pennsylvania Dutch phrases, so tourists can actually hear what it sounds like,” said Mast. It also features a photo contest for visitors to submit their own pictures of Holmes County. For last minute planning, Facebook and Twitter are great tools for real time contact with visitors. In addition, said Mast, “We are every year increasing the size and scope of our visitor’s guide. We print 400,000 of those a year. It’s much more comprehensive than it’s ever been before.” "Another cool thing we’re rolling out in 2011 is our Yellow Apron campaign, which is essentially a concierge campaign," said Mast. "It’s always a frustration for tourists when they come here, and maybe they’ll eat at a restaurant, or stay at a hotel, and they’ll ask a front line person, ‘where’s this attraction, where can I find, sleigh bells, or how can I locate a place that refurbishes buggies?’ We’re rolling out this campaign so people will know, if I see someone in a yellow apron, they’ll either know the answer or they’ll be able to get the answer for me." But there’s two sides to this organization, and while the Tourism Bureau focuses on bringing visitors to Holmes County, the Chamber of Commerce devotes much of its efforts to improving the businesses in the county. One of the ways the Chamber helps businesses is to improve the business environment. “As a Chamber, we’re very interested in removing the obstacles for local businesses,” said Mast. “If there is legislation out there that is potentially detrimental to businesses, we will work on their behalf to actively lobby for changes.” The chamber is very active in education about issues, about business practices, really working to make local businesses stronger. What Mast sees is that the economy hasn’t affected the amount of traffic to the community as much, but visitors aren’t spending as much money when they’re here, they’re more frugal. Many businesses reported a great fall season, giving even more reason to be positive about 2011. “I think there’s more optimism out there than there was this time last year,” said Mast, “and a lot more than there was this time two years ago. I think we’ll continue to see growth.” The types of stores that are doing particularly well are the ones that are authentic to the area. Places that sell locally grown food and bulk foods are experiencing success, as are the businesses that retain traditional methods and products. According to Mast, people are becoming more aware of the economic impact of buying locally. Mast said, “If you can keep those dollars local, they multiply so many more times within the community than if you spend them at a big box store outside the community. I think this recession particularly, has really refocused Americans in general, and locals in particular how lucky we are with the quality things we have here.” “The thing about a recession, it’s often a good time to start a new business” said Mast. “It’s also often an opportunity if you’re a strong business to gain more market share and to grow your business. Just using Millersburg as an example, there were quite a few new businesses that opened in 2010.” “One of the things I see as an important function of the Chamber is our opportunity to provide education and insight into trends and the economy," said Mast. The Chamber is bringing in a nationally known economist, Dr. Lowell Catlett, to speak at the Carlisle Inn on March 15 at 9 a.m. His two hour presentation will focus on emerging from the recession, and what's in store for the future. Mast said, "I think it will be a great opportunity for local businesses to attend. So the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau look forward to another year of helping people connect. “There’s always fun new ways that we’re promoting and communicating with our constituents," said Mast. "We’re trying to put ourselves in tourists’ shoes, and make it easier for them.”


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